Spirit Realm

What should have been a wooden floor had become an endless expanse of pitch-black darkness.

Ripples occasionally stirred in the depths, as if some unseen giant were swimming below.

Diana's pupils contracted sharply, and her heart pounded as if it would burst from her chest.

Flustered, she raised her head, hoping to see more, only to find that the familiar archive room had vanished.

The carved wooden ceiling overhead was gone, replaced by a strange membrane covered in dark-red veins.

The bookshelves around her had somehow become enormous black stone pillars, their surfaces carved with twisted symbols that stretched into the endless sky. In the distance, red and black intertwined in a chaotic haze, with indescribable transparent shadows drifting through it.

"Where is this...?"

Diana gripped The Myth of the Era in her hand. Without hesitation, she closed her eyes and prayed silently.

"Great Lord of All Spirits, please turn your gaze upon me and save your loyal knight from this inexplicable void."

No magnificent, ethereal voice came to her mind. Her heart sank further, and her hope crumbled bit by bit.

"How could this be... The Lord can't hear my call..."

Diana's voice trembled slightly. She moved forward slowly, trying to find a way out of this place.

The darkness beneath her feet wasn't as insubstantial as she'd imagined. It seemed solid, firmly supporting her steps.

A cold, heavy atmosphere filled the air, instinctively making her feel as though she had stepped into a realm that did not belong to the living, as if she were in some eerie afterlife.

Diana moved forward step by step, passing one black stone pillar after another as she headed toward a faint light.

In a corner, an indescribable, strange teal shape shimmered faintly. Behind it, a shadow with a human outline wavered like a candle flame.

"Someone?"

A trace of wariness showed in Diana's eyes. Encountering something like this in such a strange place might not be a good thing. She stood still and carefully studied the outline behind the teal glow.

As if sensing her presence, the shadow gradually steadied itself. It seemed to turn its head, its gaze drifting toward her through the teal shape.

Diana could see it more clearly now. Beneath the shadow was unmistakably the figure of the library's archivist.

The kindly old man smiled, warmth filling the wrinkles on his face as he beckoned to her, like a grandfather looking forward to his granddaughter coming home.

As if hypnotized, Diana's bright blue eyes dimmed, and she unconsciously moved closer to the shadow.

Just as she was about to touch it, ripples suddenly stirred in the darkness beneath her feet, and a translucent figure emerged beside her.

"Don't move."

A magnificent, ethereal voice came from the figure. The moment it reached Diana's ears, a glimmer of clarity returned to her eyes.

"Great Lord?"

She stopped and looked toward the translucent figure beside her.

A huge jellyfish glowing with a ghostly blue light was floating in the void.

Strangely, its countless slender tentacles had gathered into two bunches, one of which was holding up its "chin" in an eerily humanlike pose.

Feeling Diana's gaze, Ivan froze for a moment, then quickly let his tentacles fall apart, pretending to be an ordinary giant jellyfish.

He realized he couldn't remain invisible here.

"What's going on? Has my invisibility stopped working?"

Just moments ago.

The instant Diana had been pulled into this eerie, unknown space, Ivan had noticed something was wrong.

The young woman's thoughts, which he had been listening to, had abruptly cut off, and the image in his mind that represented Diana had suddenly vanished.

He quickly checked the connection of faith between his spirit body and Diana. The faint thread hadn't disappeared; it seemed to have snapped, then hidden in the air before the young woman.

"Phew... Thank goodness. I thought she'd suddenly vanished..."

He floated over and saw the young woman staring blankly at the bookshelves. Her body, along with the book in her hands, was slowly becoming transparent, turning into a phantom.

Ivan's heart tightened. Could that book be the cause? Was she pulled into some unknown space? Is she slowly disappearing from reality?

Without hesitation, he looked at The Myth of the Era and reached out with a tentacle. Spirituality spread across the ancient book, but it was like diving into a bottomless pool—there was no response.

The young woman's figure grew fainter by the moment. Ivan grew restless, unable to figure out what he'd done wrong or why he couldn't enter that space.

Was the key not the book itself?

Then it had to be... He remembered the two symbols Diana hadn't recognized, and quickly opened the book to examine them before it disappeared.

The symbols were extremely intricate, and Ivan couldn't make out their meaning. He could only keep staring at them, using his Spirituality to trace them in his mind.

Soon, he finally sensed his connection to Diana's thoughts again.

Ivan quickly opened his eyes, only to find himself in this space, where the young woman beside him was being enchanted by a strange shadow and staring at him with her big eyes.

He hurriedly explained, "Well, don't be surprised. What you're seeing should be one projection among my countless spirit bodies."

"I sensed that something was wrong with you, so I sent an incarnation of my spirit body to investigate..."

Ivan hadn't finished speaking when the humanoid shadow suddenly moved. Its kindly smile vanished, and its features turned into a hazy ball of light.

The shadow gradually became solid. Its outstretched hands cut through the air, and its body stretched and twisted as if it had transformed in an instant from a gentle old man into a predator, lunging at Diana.

"Look out!" he warned her.

Diana's curved brows knitted slightly. Her soft body twisted at an impossible angle, barely evading the surprise attack.

A faint golden sheen passed through her azure eyes.

Her white ankle socks and leather boots flashed as the toe of her boot struck the shadow from behind with a crisp whoosh.

With a muffled thud, like a heavy sandbag taking a blow, the shadow was kicked several meters away, nearly crashing into one of the black stone pillars.

Diana didn't stop attacking. She landed steadily, then pushed off with her toes and darted in front of the shadow.

Her small right fist shot forward, trailing a faint golden light.

Ivan could see traces of Order Aspect Spirituality in the golden light. It wasn't dazzling, but it seemed able to see through all illusions, precisely finding the shadow's weakness.

Diana's fist struck the shadow in the chest, as if hitting a clump of cotton. Its body slowly turned into gray mist, as though the blow had dispersed its physical form.

"In the name of the Lord of All Spirits, I punish you for your crimes!" she recited softly. Though her voice was quiet, it carried unquestionable authority.

"Where did she even learn that embarrassing line..." Ivan silently teased the young woman beneath her serious facade, who was still excited despite this being her first battle.

I—I'm amazing! I can beat this strange creature! Diana was thrilled as she watched the strange shadow she had struck freeze in place.

Diana remained cautious, maintaining her fighting stance. Her adrenaline hadn't faded yet, and excitement coursed through her body.

The shadow's face shifted and wavered. Something like mist coalesced into features, and the place where its mouth should have been opened and closed.

A sound like the hiss of a steam carriage starting up came from it:

"Lord of All... Spirits..."

"Has He returned... to the Spirit Realm...?"